The Heidelberg Melange
Broadway Far Away from New York City
Food for Thought
Heidelberg: On a Sunday in the Chapel of Südstadt, the echo of Broadway was heard. The chapel stands out to anyone who passes by; it proudly wears a badge made out of colourful old kitchen pipes and a bicycle wheel while a gib polychromatic cat hangs from the side of the façade. You can find a well-kept event hall inside, where flea markets are held in addition to dance evenings or concerts.
The spirit of Broadway is in reference to Caffe Taci – a renowned Italian restaurant in New York that employs opera students to entertain guests while they enjoy their meals. This is what inspired opera singer and director of the Melange Clarissa Müller after seeing a documentary about the Caffe in 2022. After a bumpy start with a meager 20 spectators, the concert series quickly became more popular than the chapel itself. Around 200 spectators come regularly, a new endeavour for some, a permanent fixture for others. The large crowds are a mark of successful marketing, thanks to an admirable dose of posters put up in both Heidelberg and Mannheim which are now familiar to the residents of both cities. Unlike all other posters that advertise ticket sales, Clarissa’s posters invite you to be on stage. If you accept the invitation, you will be part of the program.
The Melange, which only began with opera in April 2022, lives up to its name with schmaltzy arias followed by pessimistic poetry and Dvorak as a refreshment from acapella. The surround sound of a nearby buffet chimed in for the entire act. However, this feeling of abundance is not just for the benefit of those attending. Each Melange is dedicated to a charity of Clarissa’s choosing. The last Melange donated to Shelter HD; if donating to this cause doesn’t seem good enough, why not do it with a glass of prosecco and live music?
Felix Mendelssohn’s Fantasia (the Scottish) kicked things off with a mixture of genre and character – a foretaste of what was to come. After the last movement, there was a musical flash-forward to today; the acapella pop group 4xDelay from Frankfurt performed. The group sang and beat-boxed three of their own songs, including their hit “Gib dem Leben einen Sinn”. Their close harmony and adventurous polyphony were styled by their friendship.
In addition to technical skill, Jörg Beyerlin was the muse of the evening. My. Beyerlin recited two poems that accompanied Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude. The first poem “The Pessimist” by twentieth-century poet Mascha Kaléko, was a short but intense speech. The Prelude however was performed much slower than what we are used to (albeit moisturizer commercials or Lang Lang), it felt as if it was composed on the spot.
The phrases were shaped, the dynamics contrasted and everything sounded brand new… Bravo!
